Why Is My Asus Laptop Cursor Not Working? | Quick Fixes

Guide / By

On ASUS laptops, a dead cursor usually means the touchpad is disabled, the driver is broken, or Windows settings need a reset.

Your pointer froze mid-scroll, taps don’t click, and a USB mouse works but the built-in pad doesn’t. This guide walks you through the real fixes that solve the problem on ASUS notebooks running Windows 11 or 10. You’ll start with the quick checks, then move into driver resets, hotkey packages, MyASUS settings, and a BIOS toggle that often gets missed. Each step is simple, safe, and takes only a few minutes.

Common Reasons Asus Trackpad Stops Responding

Most no-cursor cases fall into one of these buckets:

  • Touchpad toggle is off via Settings or a function key.
  • Windows thinks an external mouse is attached and hides input from the internal pad.
  • Driver glitch after an update or a clean install.
  • ASUS hotkey tools missing or outdated, so the Fn key toggle fails.
  • BIOS “Internal Pointing Device” disabled or blocked by a firmware setting.

Step 1: Turn The Touchpad Back On

Windows ships with a master toggle. If that switch is off, taps and swipes won’t register.

  1. Press Windows and type touchpad, then open Touchpad settings.
  2. Flip Touchpad to On. Set Cursor speed to the middle for testing.
  3. Open Additional mouse settings > your touchpad tab (ELAN/Synaptics/ASUS) and make sure any Disable when external mouse is plugged in box is unchecked.

You can jump straight there with this run command:

ms-settings:devices-touchpad

Step 2: Use The Asus Fn Hotkey

Many ASUS models include a hotkey that toggles the pad. Common combos are Fn + F9 or Fn + F6 (look for a touchpad icon). Press it once, wait two seconds, press again. If an onscreen pad icon appears with a crossed-out mark, the pad is off. Press once more to re-enable.

If the hotkey does nothing, the ASUS hotkey/ATK package might be missing. Reinstalling ASUS hotkey tools often restores the toggle and tray icon.

Step 3: Reset Touchpad Settings And Gestures

Gesture stacks can lock up. A quick reset helps:

  1. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad.
  2. Expand Gestures & interaction and toggle multi-finger gestures off, then on.
  3. Pick Reset under your vendor panel (ELAN/Synaptics/ASUS) in Additional mouse settings if available.

Step 4: Reinstall The Driver In Device Manager

If Windows lost the driver or grabbed the wrong one, the device may vanish or show as a HID device. Reinstalling is quick.

  1. Open Device Manager: 
    devmgmt.msc
  2. From the View menu, pick Show hidden devices.
  3. Expand Human Interface Devices and Mice and other pointing devices.
  4. Right-click HID-compliant touch pad or your vendor name (ELAN/Synaptics/ASUS Precision Touchpad) > Uninstall device. Check Delete the driver software for this device if shown.
  5. In Device Manager’s top menu, click Action > Scan for hardware changes. Windows will reload a clean driver.

If nothing returns, reboot, then repeat with Show hidden devices on. The pad often reappears after a cold restart.

Step 5: Update Windows And The Pad Driver

Out-of-date pad modules cause tap, scroll, and palm-rejection issues. Pull updates from both Windows and ASUS.

  1. Run Windows Update: 
    ms-settings:windowsupdate
  2. Visit your exact ASUS model’s support page and install the latest Touchpad, Hotkey/ATK, and Chipset packages. Reboot after each set.

A clean reinstall from Device Manager followed by the model-specific driver from ASUS often restores full gesture controls.

Step 6: Fix The Hotkey Stack (ATK / Asus System Control)

If the Fn toggle shows an icon but the pad stays off, the ASUS hotkey layer may be broken. Reinstall these in order:

  1. MyASUS app from Microsoft Store.
  2. ASUS System Control Interface (or ATK Package on older units) from your model page.
  3. Your Touchpad driver (ELAN, Synaptics, or ASUS Precision).

After the reboot, try Fn + F9 again. The pad tray icon should reflect the toggle state.

Step 7: Check MyASUS Device Settings

MyASUS exposes pad switches not shown in Windows. Open MyASUS > Device Settings > Input and confirm the touchpad is enabled. On some models, an option disables the pad when a mouse is attached; turn that off while testing. Also review palm-rejection and tap settings here.

Step 8: Enable The Pad In BIOS

If Windows and MyASUS both look fine, the firmware toggle may be off.

  1. Shut down.
  2. Power on and press F2 repeatedly to enter BIOS.
  3. Open Advanced and find Internal Pointing Device. Set it to Enabled.
  4. Save and exit. Test the pad in Windows.

Step 9: Deal With NumberPad Models

Many ASUS compact notebooks ship with a touchpad that doubles as a numeric pad. If the NumberPad is toggled on, taps behave like digits, not clicks. Tap the NumberPad icon in the top-right of the pad for one second to turn it off. Then test two-finger scroll.

Step 10: Try A Clean Boot Or Safe Mode

Third-party utilities can hook pointer input. Test with a clean boot path:

  1. Press Windows + R, type msconfig, press Enter.
  2. On the Services tab, tick Hide all Microsoft services, then click Disable all.
  3. Open Startup > Open Task Manager and disable non-Microsoft startup apps.
  4. Reboot and test the pad. If it works now, re-enable items in small groups to find the culprit.

When You Plug In A Mouse, Don’t Let Windows Kill The Pad

On some builds, Windows turns off the pad whenever a mouse is connected. To avoid that, open Additional mouse settings and clear any box that mentions disabling the internal device when an external pointing device is present. This one checkbox saves a lot of head-scratching.

Precision Touchpad Vs. Vendor Drivers

ASUS ships ELAN or Synaptics hardware on many models. Newer units present as a Windows Precision Touchpad. Precision brings native settings and better gesture handling. If you see only basic options, you may be on a fallback HID driver. Reinstall your model’s official pad package or switch to the Precision layer if ASUS provides it on your page.

Quick Openers You Can Copy

Paste these into Run (Windows + R) to jump straight to common panels:

ms-settings:devices-touchpad
devmgmt.msc
control mouse
ms-settings:windowsupdate

Signs The Issue Is Hardware

Software fixes won’t help a loose ribbon cable or a cracked pad surface. Watch for these clues:

  • No pad in Device Manager after a full power cycle.
  • Clicks register but the pointer won’t move, or the reverse.
  • Pointer jitters in a straight line without finger movement.

Back up, then book a bench check if those symptoms match. Pads and ribbons are replaceable parts on many ASUS notebooks.

Two Trusted References You Can Rely On

For deeper steps, see Microsoft’s fix touchpad problems guide and ASUS’s touchpad troubleshooting page. Both align with the steps above and cover model-specific notes.

Driver Clean-Up Order That Works

If you still don’t get movement after the basics, run this order. It clears stale packages and puts the correct stack back:

  1. Uninstall the touchpad in Device Manager with the Delete the driver software box checked.
  2. Reboot and let Windows load a generic driver.
  3. Install the latest ASUS System Control Interface (or ATK) from your model page.
  4. Install the correct touchpad package for your hardware (ELAN/Synaptics/ASUS Precision).
  5. Reboot and toggle the pad with Fn + F9 once to confirm the hotkey path works.

Table: Symptom To Fix At A Glance

Symptom Likely Cause Fast Fix
No pointer, USB mouse works Touchpad toggle off Turn on in Touchpad settings; try Fn + F9/F6
Pad vanishes from Device Manager Driver removed or hidden Show hidden devices; reinstall pad driver; reboot
Only basic options appear Fallback HID driver Install model-specific ELAN/Synaptics or Precision
Fn key toggle has no effect Hotkey/ATK missing Install ASUS System Control/ATK; retry toggle
Works until a mouse is plugged in Auto-disable setting Clear “disable when external mouse” option
Taps input digits on compact models NumberPad on Hold the pad’s NumberPad icon to turn off
Still no response after clean boot Firmware toggle or hardware fault Enable Internal Pointing Device in BIOS; service if needed

Extra Tips That Save Time

  • Power cycle: Shut down, wait 20 seconds, then start. A full power drop resets the embedded controller on many boards.
  • USB receiver check: If you use a wireless mouse, unplug the dongle during pad tests so Windows doesn’t park the internal device.
  • Glove or moisture: Dry the pad and hands. Moisture can mute taps and confuse palm detection.
  • Clean surface: Oil build-up reduces sensitivity. Wipe with a soft, barely damp microfiber cloth, then dry.
  • Test in a new user profile: Corrupt per-user settings can block gestures. Create a temporary account and check the pad there.

You Fixed It? Lock In A Stable Setup

Once the pointer moves again, lock in a setup that stays stable:

  1. Leave Windows Update on, but keep a copy of your model’s pad and hotkey installers.
  2. If a new driver trims gesture options, roll back in Device Manager and stick with the last one that feels right.
  3. Keep the disable when external mouse option off unless you like that behavior.

When To Seek Service

Pad now shows in Device Manager, the toggle is on, drivers are current, BIOS switch is enabled, clean boot changes nothing, and an external mouse works. That chain points to a physical fault—usually the pad module or ribbon. If under warranty, book a repair. Out of warranty, a pad module is a common, fixable part on many ASUS models.